No matter what level of skateboarding you’re at, we think all skateboarders should give freestyle skateboarding a try. The Freestyle Magician himself, Mike Osterman, took a trip to the Braillehouse to teach us the 5 easiest freestyle skateboard tricks. These tricks are great to learn if you’re a beginner skateboarder, or a more experienced skateboarder who is looking to expand their skills into the world of freestyle skating. Check out our video below for an amazing introduction lesson in Freestyle Skating with Mike Osterman and Ethan Young.

5 Easiest Freestyle Tricks for Beginners

1. Rail-stand
2. Walk the Dog
3. Switch-blade
4. Tail-stop Finger-flip
5. Smoothies

Rail-stand

Start with your tail down and both feet on the tail with your toes pointing towards the nose and your heels touching the ground. Take your back foot and place the sole of your back foot against the side of the board near the back wheels. From here, push the board with your back foot to make the board flip onto its side (like a primo). Once the board is pushed over, you’ll step up and balance on the board with your feet placed on the wheels. To keep your balance, bend your knees and drop your center of gravity low. Stay loose and relaxed and try not to lock up and lose your balance. 

Walk the Dog

Place your front foot in the middle of the board with your toes pointing straight toward the nose. Now use your back foot to step around your front foot, placing your back foot on the nose with your toes pointing to the right if your goofy, or to the left if you’re regular. Next, pivot backside on the ball of your back foot to bring the board around 180-degrees. From here, you would again step around your front foot, bringing your back foot forward to the nose then pivoting backside. Repeat this motion over and over again to “Walk the Dog”. 

Switch-blade

This trick is a mix of a shove-it and a pivot. Take your front foot place it on the front bolts with your toes pointing toward the nose. Then you’ll use your ankle to push down on the nose and pivot the board 180-degrees behind you (like a nollie backside shove it), keeping the nose pinned down the entire time. Now with your front foot pinned down on the board, change your feet so that your back foot replaces your front foot, and your front foot moves back to the front of the board. A little hop should be enough of a jump to switch your feet back into a position to roll away. As you get a feel for this trick it will start to look more proper and flare out the right way. 

Tail-stop Finger-flip

With this trick you can flip it one of 2 ways; like a kickflip, or like a heelflip. Start with your tail down and both feet on the tail with your heels touching the ground and your toes pointing toward the nose. Use your right hand if you’re goofy, or your left hand if you’re regular to grab the nose of the board. Have your thumb in the middle of the nose, pressed down on the griptape so that it can help you push the board and flip it with your hand. Flip the board using your thumb and fingers and jump with the board as it flips so you can get your feet on the griptape to land the trick. 

Smoothies

A smoothie is basically a one-footed nollie backside pivot. In freestyle it’s considered a one-footed “endover”. After the first pivot you would pivot again, but with 2 feet like an endover. To do the one-footed pivot off the nose, put your front foot on the bolts then simply turn your front foot in, pointing your toes toward the tail. With your front foot on the bolts and turned in, you’ll rotate behind you (nollie backside), lifting your back foot off the board allowing it to rotate, balancing and pivoting only on that front foot. Once the board is fully rotated 180 degrees, step back on the tail with your back foot then perform a half-cab pivot to finish the Smoothie. 

A huge thanks to Mike and Ethan for coming out and showing us these super fun tricks. We hope you learned something too. Now get out there and SKATE!